Past Lives
by Jenna McKane
Summary: A woman from Deeks past falls back into his life and things become messy. Deeks realizes that he'll need his partner more than ever. Will Kensi be there for him after learns a few of his deepest darkest secrets, including why he swore off all female partners and LAPD hates him? DENSI NELL/ERIC CALLEN/OC
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:This is A Former Life 2.0! After I re-read A Former Life I hated it! I _hated _it! So I decided to revise it and well, I got carried away. If you read A Former Life it's the same premise but things have been changed to fit the new story outline I built. It will not be the same outcome and all that jazz. I will be posting 2-3 times a week until 15-16 chapters are up. I hope you enjoy the new and improved version of A Former Life, Past Lives. Thank you for reading, reviewing, favoriting and alerting. It means so much to me!**

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Special Agent G Callen and his partner, Sam Hanna of five plus years sat at their respectful desks on a dreary Monday morning. It was raining and naturally Sam was complaining about how much he hated the rain. He told everyone that it made his bones ache but Callen knew it was because when it rained his wife became one out of a romantic comedy. She baked, she ate ice cream, she cried but most of all she annoyed Sam more than his partner could on any given day.

"Sam, it's not that big of a deal." Callen told his partner.

"G, you don't get it she bakes enough cakes, cookies and muffins in one day to supply the whole navy for at least a month."

"I feel bad for your bank account." Callen replied sarcastically.

Sam rolled his eyes and said, "So do I."

"Well at least it doesn't rain a lot in LA otherwise you'd really be screwed." Callen laughed as he got up and walked over to the little kitchenette off the bullpen. He poured himself a cup of coffee and added three sugars to it before returning to his seat. His partner had his head in a file that was long overdue when Kensi and Deeks walked in. They both had coffee cups in their hands and Deeks had a box of doughnuts as well.

Sam looked up from his file and smirked, "Well it's about time you two got here, late night?"

Deeks and Kensi both scoffed but only Deeks answered, "I wish. LAPD called me this morning at 5:45. They needed a debriefing of that undercover bust Kensi and I did three weeks ago for them." Sam nodded at Deeks' answer and went back to work on his file.

Kensi walked over to Deeks' desk and grabbed a sprinkled doughnut from the box on his desk. She walked back to her desk and unceremoniously plopped herself into her wooden chair. She looked beat. "Did you go to the meeting too?" Callen asked when Kensi bit into the doughnut. She offered no verbal answer just nodded at him while continuing to eat her doughnut. Kensi closed her eyes and hummed approvingly as she swallowed her first bite.

Kensi finished her doughnut and began to chip away at the mountain of paperwork piled up on her desk. It was about two months' worth and she also had paperwork from the bust Deeks and her did. It was a week long operation but it accumulated enough paperwork to make her desk look as if she was years behind not months. Secretly she was hoping for today to be a slow day so she could finish all her paperwork. But the probability of that was very low and she knew it.

While G Callen's team began their day of paperwork the door to OSP opened. Hetty heard the old door open and lifted her head to see which agent was coming in, only she wasn't greeted by one of her own agents. In walked a woman 5' 8" with honey blonde hair that reached right beneath her breasts. The woman was wearing a blue knit sweater and dark jeans with heeled booties. She fit the stature of an agent but from Hetty's position she didn't recognize her. The blonde didn't seem to notice Hetty walking toward her and if she did she made nothing of it. The blonde walked right over to the bullpen of Callen's team. She paused a moment when she reached the threshold and looked at Deeks.

"Marty Deeks?" the blonde asked. Deeks' head shot up and met the blonde's eyes. His hand reached to his belt hovering over his service weapon.

"Catherine Fairway?" Deeks asked when the woman's appearance finally set in. "What are you doing here?" Deeks walked over to her as she lifted up a manila folder, "I didn't sign them."

"The agreed terms are void." Deeks finished for her as it all sunk in. "We're still married?" Deeks asked dumbfounded.

"Yes me, Catherine Fairway and you, Marty Deeks are still legally husband and wife." The blonde, now identified as Catherine Fairway answered. The mouths of Sam, Callen and Kensi all hung agape after Catherine finished her sentence. They all looked from Catherine to Deeks hoping for an answer but the only thing they did was stare at each other.

"Catherine, why didn't you sign the papers?" asked Deeks after several moments staring into the eyes of a former lover.

"I got caught up in something or rather I threw myself into something after you left. It's the same reason I'm here."

"You're not here to renegotiate the divorce papers?"

"No." Catherine turned to face Hetty who was standing just in front of the threshold of the bullpen. Realization flashed across Hetty's face when she saw Catherine, "Agent Fairway, it's nice to see you again."

"Likewise Hetty, if you don't mind, I'm here to cash in those favors you owe me."

"Certainly, would you like to talk in my office?" Hetty asked and pointed in the direction of her office. Catherine nodded but instead of following Hetty to her office she walked over to Deeks' desk and put the file folder down. When she walked by him she stopped and pressed her lips to his cheek and said, "I-I wish it didn't end the way it did. I really loved you. I still love you"

"Me too Cath, me too." Deeks said in a soft voice as she walked away toward Hetty's office.

Deeks leaned up against his desk and ran his hands through his hair. He tried to grasp what just went on but found that it was very difficult to do when three sets of eyes were staring at him. "She and I met in 2004 on an undercover assignment we went under as Lacey and Austin Briggs. Somewhere along the way we fell in love and got wrapped up in drug dealers and gun runners."

Kensi's eyes became soft as he spoke about the mission. She saw that it pained him to talk about it. She felt sorry for her partner. And yet she still couldn't help but be jealous of Catherine. She had the one thing Kensi wanted most. Kensi didn't know what made her mouth move and words come out but she knew it was the right thing to say, "Deeks, do you want to take an early lunch?"

He nodded and Kensi moved behind her desk to grab her keys and jacket. When they left Callen and Sam looked at each other with lost expressions, they couldn't grasp that Deeks was married.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I got a request for more Deeks and Kensi so I switched around the chapter order. This was _supposed _to be chapter 3 but I realized that they could work either way. Also I got the question of when are D & K getting together because in A Former Life they took the whole story to get together. I just wrote that scene, it's in chapter 6.** **Huge thank you to everyone who alerted, favorited and reviewed. It means the world to me. **

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Kensi and Deeks drove twenty minutes south of OSP to their favorite burger joint. The ride there was uncomfortably silent. Kensi didn't know what to say because she didn't know how much Deeks would offer up. Deeks on the other hand was waiting for his partner to say something. He didn't want to be the one to bring up Catherine if she didn't want to talk about it.

Kensi parked the car in the first open space she found in the nearly empty parking lot of the burger joint, it was only 10 so there weren't many people there.

She clicked her SRX off and removed her seat belt. "Wait," Deeks said just as she was about to open the door. Kensi turned toward him and waited. Deeks placed his hand on top of hers and said softly, "I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Kensi asked slightly confused. She enjoyed the warmth of his hand on top of hers.

"I'm sorry I never told you about Catherine." Deeks clarified.

"No, it's fine, it's not like we tell each other everything right? You've got your secrets and I've got mine." Kensi went to leave the SRX again but this time Deeks caught her arm. "Kens, I really am sorry."

Kensi nodded and left the SRX. Deeks followed her out of the car and into the burger joint. The burger joint was from the 1950s, it was a family run restaurant that Kensi and Deeks frequented together. Kensi held the door while she waited for Deeks to catch up. When they entered they were met by the current owner's son, Jackson, who was delighted to seat them at their regular table.

"The usual?" Jackson, a young man with dark green eyes and brown hair asked when they were seated. Deeks nodded but Kensi spoke up and said, "Can I get a chocolate milkshake?" Jackson nodded and sauntered back toward the kitchen.

They sat in silence for a few moments until Kensi asked, "When did you and Catherine get married?"

"After almost two years of dating in April of 2006."

Kensi nodded then asked, "What kind of wedding was it?"

"A beach wedding, we both love the beach." Deeks smiled at the memory. "She wore a pale pink dress, saying that she wasn't innocent enough to wear a white dress." Deeks laughed along with Kensi who smiled at the thought of a woman saying that.

"When-uh-when did you guys split." Kensi asked awkwardly. She didn't want to pry but she wanted to know she wanted to know. Some part of her hoped it was years before they met but Deeks didn't seem like the person to drop out of a marriage after a year.

"I left in 2010." Deeks answered simply.

"I met you that year. You were married?" Kensi's mind raced with the new information. He left the year they met Catherine. Maybe it was fate, maybe it was a sign.

"Still am." Deeks laughed with a shake of his head. "But, yes. I had already left at that point though."

"Hetty called her Agent Fairway, She's an agent?" Kensi asked.

"NCIS, last I heard she was working with 5-0 in Hawaii."

"She's one of us? Is she the reason Hetty knew about you?" Kensi wondered out loud.

Deeks shook his head, "We have a sealed marriage. Nobody knows expect those present at the wedding and the county clerk."

"How many people were at your wedding?"

"It was rather small or at least Cath thought it was. We had 75 guests."

"Not bad. Last summer my friend, Emily had over 300 people at her wedding. I'm not even sure she knew everyone there." Kensi replied laughing at the memory.

"I can imagine. It was a lot of agents and cops. Back then the LAPD had no reason to hate me so I invited probably half the division I was with."

Kensi chuckled and went to ask him about the reason they split up but she Jackson came back with their food. "For you," He said as he placed the plate in front of her. "One cheese burger extra cheese, large fry and a chocolate shake."

"Thanks." She said as she bit into a fry. Jackson nodded and placed Deeks' food in front of him in the same fashion.

They ate in a comfortable silence. Just as Deeks finished Kensi asked, "Do you know why Catherine is here?"

"I've got a feeling." Deeks replied as he ate the last fry on his plate.

"Care to share?"

"Cath-Catherine," He corrected himself. "Loves to throw herself into her work. When I left we had a joint case that I-we left open. My best bet is that she threw herself into it."

"Deeks," Kensi said and he looked up from his empty plate. "I'm your partner. Please don't be afraid to tell me things. I won't judge you."

Deeks said nothing for a few moments. Then, "I trust you with my life. I trust you with everything.

Kensi nodded and Jackson walked over with the check. He placed it on the table and Deeks took out his wallet. He reached into it and placed a ten on the table for a tip.

Deeks grabbed the check and walked to the register and paid while Kensi left to start the car. Deeks paid the check and thanked the owner, Mary-Ann for the meal and walked out to Kensi's SRX. She was sitting in it waiting patiently for him to return.

"Mary-Ann say anything to you today?" Kensi asked as Deeks got into the car.

"She asked why we came during the week." Deeks said as he buckled his seat belt.

"Oh," Kensi replied unsure of where Deeks was taking the conversation. "What did you tell her?"

"Rough day at work." Deeks sighed and thought to himself, _understatement of the century._

Kensi nodded and put her SRX into gear to head back to OSP. The ride back was filled with light, meaningless small talk. They fought over a decent radio station, Deeks found a few Twinkie wrappers hidden in between the seats and the two of them stole glances at each other half out of worry and half out of love.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Here's chapter 3. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you for the reviews, favorites and follows they make me smile!**

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Catherine sat in Hetty's office with her hands in her lap and looking at them. She was nervous, she wasn't sure if Hetty would agree to help her. Sure Hetty owed her a few favors but what she was asking for was far more than just a favor.

"Tea?" Hetty asked as she put a tea bag in a dainty tea cup for herself.

"Please," Catherine replied.

Hetty pulled another cup down from its home and put a tea bag in while she waited for the water to boil.

"Agent Fairway, to say I'm shocked would be an understatement." Catherine's head shot up and her eyes met Hetty's. Her lips turned upward and she said, "Shocked?"

"Yes, I had no idea you were married to Mr. Deeks when you were working for me."

"We had it sealed." Catherine replied flatly.

"So sealed that you didn't even classify yourself as married in your personnel file?"

Catherine looked uncomfortable. She began to wring her hands together while she said, "Look, I know it's a shock to see me again after a few years but can we not talk about my marriage now and discuss why I'm really here?"

"Of course." Hetty replied sensing her discomfort. The tea kettle whistled and she poured the water into the tea cups and brought them over to her desk. Catherine picked hers up and held it. She knew it was too hot to drink but it gave her hands something to do.

"After Deeks and I split in 2010 I threw myself into a case we had created together. It was an armed robbery case." Catherine paused and Hetty nodded urging her to continue. "The man, Cary Thistle stole 50K from a bank in downtown LA in 2007. He injured the teller but nothing fatal. After the robbery he went underground until 2008 when he started spending the stolen bills. I caught him in late 2010 and put him away but now he's out and I've-" Catherine took a deep breath and sat her tea cup on the table. "I've gotten threats, from him. All of them say the same thing; I ruined his life now he's going to ruin mine by ending it."

Catherine paused once more and then said, "Hetty, I can't do this on my own. Not when he's put a target on my back."

Hetty nodded and then put her own tea cup down on the table. "I believe we should go brief Eric and Nell. Right now, they'll be the most help to you."

Catherine nodded and stood up. She looked down to Hetty and said, "Thank you." Hetty nodded and Catherine left for OSP. Before she reached the stairs she looked into the bullpen and saw two sets of eyes staring at her. She pointed her right hand out toward the bullpen, her finger landing on Callen. She made a "come here" motion to him. His eyes grew wide in shock and he pointed at himself. Catherine, in turn, nodded to him and made the same "come here" motion once more. Callen got up from his seat and walked over to where she was standing.

"Hi," Catherine said with her right hand stretched outward. "I'm Agent Catherine Fairway."

Callen stretched his hand outward; grasped Catherine's and shook it. "Agent G. Callen," He told her with a smile on his face. "Nice to meet you Agent Fairway."

"Please," she pleaded. "Call me Catherine." She pulled her hand back and dropped it to her side as Callen did the same.

"Ok, it's nice to meet you Catherine." Her name rolled off his tongue like strong but good liquor. It made his insides warm and it had a bite. She smiled at him and pointed up the stairs, "Is that the way to Eric and Nell? Hetty told me to de-brief them."

"Yeah," Callen swallowed uncomfortably before continuing. "They should be up there."

She nodded and said "Thanks, now you can tell your partner that I'm not going to kill him."

"What?" Callen replied as a look of confusion crossed his face.

"You guys have been staring at me ever since I walked in."

"Oh-uh," Callen stuttered to find a good response but none came. "Sorry." He replied lamely after a few seconds.

"It's fine. I probably would have done the same thing." She turned to walk up the stair but Callen's arm caught hers. She looked up at him confused, "Let me show you up to Eric and Nell." Callen smiled and let go of her arm when she nodded.

"So you and Deeks" Callen said as they walked up the stairs into OSP.

She turned to him when she caught that he was talking and replied, "We were married in 2006."

"When did you guys separate?" Callen asked as the rounded the corner.

Catherine took a deep breath in and then replied, "In 2010."

"Why,"

Catherine clamed up, she didn't want to answer the question but she didn't want to tell Callen to go to grass. She knew the reason Deeks left her, she could tell him but it didn't feel like the right thing to do. "Sorry, I overstepped."

Catherine smiled and nodded, "Just a little." As they reached the doors to the tech room Callen went to turn away and walk down to the bullpen but Catherine's voice stopped him. "You should stay. Your team will be working on this." Callen nodded once and walked into the tech room with her.

"Eric, Nell," Callen called out. The two were nowhere in sight. "Callen?" Nell called slightly confused.

Nell walked out from behind a partition in the tech room. She was wearing a lilac purple dress and white heels. Eric followed behind her wearing his usual board shorts and a colorful Hawaiian styled shirt. When their eyes found Catherine they froze. "Can we help you?" Eric asked awkwardly.

"I'm Agent Fairway, Hetty told me to debrief you on something she's helping me with." Catherine held her hand out and both Eric and Nell shook it. "Oh alright, let me get the tablet." Eric said as he turned away from Catherine.

"What?" Catherine asked.

Eric turned around to face her and repeated what he had previously told her. "Sorry, I heard it wrong. Thanks."

"No problem." Eric replied as he grabbed the tablet of a desk. He walked back over to where they were standing and nodded to Catherine to proceed.

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The bullpen was deserted Kensi and Deeks arrived back. Kensi put her keys and jacket back on her desk and they both headed upstairs to find the team.

They were greeted by Hetty when they reached the tech room. "Nice of you to join us." Hetty said as the pair took their places on the right side of the island centered in OSP. Callen and Catherine were standing next to each other on the left side of the island and Sam was standing behind it. Hetty along with the tech team stood in front of it. "Mrs. Fairway. Would you like to introduce yourself?" Hetty asked after Deeks and Kensi settled in.

Catherine nodded and said, "I'm NCIS Special Agent Catherine Fairway."

Sam walked around from behind the counter and held his hand out. Catherine shook it and Kensi walked up to do the same, "I'm special Agent Kensi Blye." She said with a slight twinge of jealously before turning around to go back to her spot next to Deeks.

"It's nice to meet you all." Catherine took a deep breath before continuing on, "Although I honestly do wish it was on better circumstances than this."

Everyone in the room nodded and Deeks asked. "Cath, is one of them after you now?" Catherine nodded and Deeks swore under his breath. He took a moment then lifted his head and their eyes met, "I'm sorry."

"Unless you're the one threatening my life you have nothing, nothing to be sorry about."

"Cath, you know that's not true." Deeks pleaded with her. His voice was small, weak. He seemed genuinely sorry but Catherine wasn't in the mood to forgive for something he didn't cause.

"As far as I'm concerned it is." Catherine softly told him. He smiled a smile that didn't meet his eyes and nodded, letting Catherine get back to the debriefing.

Half an hour later they were done with the de-briefing and Deeks felt terrible. All he could think about was how it was his fault she was in this predicament. Catherine's thoughts were a complete 180 of that. She didn't blame him one bit. He had nothing to be sorry for. She threw herself into the case knowing what it could cause, would cause.

Catherine sat at Callen's desk and played with her rings one last time before sliding them off and putting them on a necklace she wore that also had a cross pendant. She accepted her fate but it doesn't mean she had to like it.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thank you, thank you, thank you. I love that you enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoy writing it. This chapter is a personal favorite, I'm not sure why but it is. Also Densi fans you get some bantering in here. I had fun with it. But remember to keep you head up chapter 6 is only two away now. Don't forget to tell me what you think. xoxo Jenn!**

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Catherine laid her head down onto Callen's desk. She closed her eyes and began to think about how differently her life would have been if she wouldn't have thrown herself into the Thistle case. It was a dangerous case and she knew that but what she didn't know was what it would do to her physically and mentally. She hadn't been able to sleep a full night's sleep in months. Nightmares, anxiety and most of all fear filled her nights now. But here at the desk she was sitting at she felt at peace so when her eyes fluttered closed she worried about nothing.

Twenty minutes late Callen walked into the bullpen and saw the blonde sleeping at his desk peacefully he didn't have the urge to wake her up. She looked peaceful, content with the world and innocent. Her sleeping figure revealed her real age not the age that was thrust upon her because of the job she had. He had no desire to wake her up so instead of sitting at his desk to comb through the file in his hand he walked over to the couch and sat down.

The file was the only file Hetty had given him regarding Catherine when he asked for one. She said that it told more than she could. When he opened it he found the familiar scrawl that belonged to Deeks and a foreign calligraphy like script that he guessed belonged to Catherine.

The only thing in the first few pages that caught his eye was the page where aliases were. Lacey and Austin Briggs were the ones Deeks and Catherine used respectively. It wasn't the names that caught his name it was the status of those aliases that caught his name. Lacey was listed as non-active but viable. Austin had a bold red stamp across the status box that read: **DECEASSED**.

Just as Callen went to read the rest of the file Deeks walked in. He saw Catherine asleep and smiled sweetly toward her. When Deeks saw Callen he walked over to him and sat on the other side of the couch. "Find anything interesting?" Deeks asked.

"As a matter of fact I did," Callen replied.

"Oh and what's that?" Deeks asked.

Callen said nothing but handed the file over opened to the page where the aliases were listed. Callen pointed to the red stamp and Deeks took a deep breath.

"She wanted out," Callen looks confused so he amended. "She wanted out of the operation so we created a diverse plan to kill off Austin so the both of us could get out." Deeks took another deep breath and then chuckled, "It almost worked too."

"Almost worked?"

"Catherine and I both ended up getting injured during the plan so we were pulled from the op." Callen nodded and Deeks handed back the file. Deeks stood up to leave but Callen called out to him, "One more thing."

"Yeah?" Deeks asked.

"Dead men don't walk. Stay away from the Briggs' area." Deeks nodded and left the bullpen in search of Kensi.

Callen continued to read the rest of the file until he heard a voice come from his desk, "What ya reading?" Catherine asked in a sleepy sing song voice. She had one hand on her face and her head tipped to the right.

"A very interesting file on an undercover operation by the name of Blue Star. You know it?"

Catherine shook her head playing along with the game he'd already set up. "No I don't think I do. How interesting is it?" She asked innocently while standing up and walking toward the couch Callen sat on.

"An agent and a cop go undercover for two months. They start dating soon after that, two years later they're happily married. Four years after that they break up. Two months later the cop ends up at the top division of NCIS."

"The file told you all that?" Catherine asked with a smile on her lips.

"Not just the file but mostly."

"Oh I see," Catherine took a deep breath and lowered her gaze. "Is there a problem in there somewhere?"

"Problem? No. Oddity? Yes." Callen looked at her. The smile was gone off her lips. She looked uneasy. He noticed that she looked like she had something she really wanted to get off her chest but couldn't.

Catherine opened her mouth to speak but she was interrupted as Sam, Deeks and Kensi walked in bickering.

"It is too fair." Kensi said as she sat down at her desk.

"You know what? I'm not even going to try anymore. You, Kensi Marie Blye are as stubborn as a mule." Sam chuckled at the Detective's words and waited for Kensi's reply.

"I resent that!" Kensi said straightening up in her chair.

"Can you deny it?" Deeks asked but he didn't let her reply. "Last time we were in the car during a case you took twenty minutes to argue with me that Sean Connery was the first Bond."

"With Eon films he was." Kensi rebutted.

"My point exactly, you're so stubborn!"

Callen didn't know what to be more surprised with. The fact that they were bantering on a day like today or the fact that it wasn't a conversation he remembered. It was strange usually their conversations carried over into the bullpen, especially if it was a bickering fight like the one happening now. After a few seconds it hit Callen, he didn't remember the conversation because he didn't hear it. _It must have been during that LAPD thing they did a while ago, _Callen concluded.

"Guys," Callen said trying to break the bickering up. It worked because all of the heads shot Callen like he was the pope. "Got anything new?"

"Eric said he needed to see Catherine and ask her a few questions." Catherine nodded and headed up toward the tech room. Kensi was still sitting at her desk trying to read through a file when Deeks looked at her and asked, "Hey Kens, can you go grab the LAPD file marked Blue Moon from my car-safe?"

"Why can't you?" Kensi asked not moving from her position.

"I need to speak to Hetty about Cath- uh-Catherine." Kensi nodded and stood up.

"Blue Moon?" Kensi asked. Deeks nodded and she got up and grabbed his keys off his desk.

When Kensi exited the bullpen Deeks turned and followed her with his eyes out of the building. When he turned around Callen and Sam were standing in front of the couch with their arms crossed over their chests.

"What was that about?" Callen asked.

"What was what about?"

"That." Callen pointed at the space between Kensi's desk and the entry way of the bullpen. "Blue Moon? Isn't your case called Blue Star?"

"Yes, Blue Star had six spider web investigations. Blue Moon is one of them."

"Why send Kensi to get it. Hetty's not even at her desk." Sam piped in. He was still standing with his arms crossed looking expectantly at the young detective.

"I need to tell you guys something. Catherine won't tell anybody this. I'm not even sure why I'm telling you this but I think you should hear it."

Callen and Sam nodded silently and Deeks began to speak.

"I want you two to know that Catherine and I didn't split because of the job or because it got too hard and we gave up." Deeks saw them nod slightly so he continued. "I left in 2010 because of something that happened at LAPD. I lost my partner. My partner was a female, my only other female partner besides Kensi. At that time I swore off all female partners, including Catherine. So I left."

Callen and Sam said nothing they just took everything in with open ears. They heard the hurt in his voice, the love when he spoke about his fallen partner and most of all they heard regret. They heard the regret when he told them he couldn't have done anything differently. His face showed sorrow, pain and love all at once. Callen and Sam felt bad for Deeks but they did not pity him. They couldn't, he was a member of their makeshift family. Family does not pity family.

"Why not tell Kensi all this too?"

"Kensi is my first and hopefully last female partner since I lost mine. I don't want Kensi to think different of me if I tell her the whole story. " Deeks said softly just as Kensi crossed the threshold of the bullpen holding the Blue Moon file.

"What don't you want to tell Kensi?" She asked quietly after walking into the bullpen. She had a look of curiosity and disappointment on her face. She was worried about her partner too. _Why is he still keeping secrets from me?_ She thought to herself.

"Nothing, it's nothing." Deeks said as he held his hand out for the file expectantly.

Kensi nodded unconvinced and handed Deeks the file. She told herself to remember to ask him what he was talking about. She didn't want to pry right now, he didn't deserve it. Kensi walked over to her desk and took a seat. Deeks opened the file she had just given him and began to read it when they heard Eric call from the balcony.

"Sam, Callen! Got a lead for you two." With that the partners ran up the stairs to the tech room.


	5. Chapter 5

"Sam, Callen! Got a lead for you two." Eric shouted from the balcony. Callen's head shot up and he nodded to the young tech before he and his partner jogged up the stairs.

When the pair reached the tech room the doors whooshed open. Inside Catherine, Eric and Nell were standing in front of the island. Catherine's head was turned toward the ground and her lips were moving like she was praying.

"What do you got for us Eric?" Sam asked as he took his place next to the island.

"Thistle has been showing up here," Eric pointed to an apartment building that was on the big screen. Callen and Sam's faces showed looks of confusion so Catherine butted in, "Lacey and Austin Briggs used to live there. I have no idea how he found it."

"Are you blown?" Callen asked Catherine concerned.

"I don't think so. He didn't out me as a cop. He just shows my picture and asks if anyone has seen me recently."

"Send the address to my phone, Eric. Sam and I will go check it out."

The tech nodded and began to tap the tablet he was holding in his hands. Within seconds Callen's phone dinged. Sam and Callen said their thanks to Eric and Nell and turned to leave but Catherine called after Callen.

"Agent Callen," She said. Her voice wasn't as strong as it was when they first started talking. It had a slight quiver to it. "Would you mind if I came along?"

Callen stood there he didn't know how to reply. If she went with them she could get burned but her being there would provide a lot of information they otherwise wouldn't have. Callen looked at Catherine and saw the look she had in her eyes. She had a look that made Callen do stupid things like look to Sam and say, "Give us a minute?"

Sam nodded and turned around heading out toward the stairs back down to the bullpen.

"Catherine, do you know what could happen if I was to allow you to come with us?"

"Yes, I do."

Callen nodded and stared at the ground. He huffed out some air and then said "Then why should I let you come?"

Without hesitation Catherine answered, "I guess you shouldn't." Catherine inhaled and raised her eyes to meet Callen's and then said, "But I can give you information that only I know about Thistle."

"I shouldn't even be thinking about letting you come." Callen stated as a matter of fact.

"Then why are you?"

"There's something about you that I can't shake." Callen looked into her eyes and Catherine felt that for once in her life someone was truly looking at her and not at just the shell she had in place. Catherine nodded her head and Callen gestured to the door out of OSP. She walk a few steps, turned around and said, "Thank you, Callen." She had the softest smile plastered on her face that Callen returned as they walked out of the OSP and into the parking garage.

* * *

Kensi and Deeks sat in the bullpen reading over the files from Blue Moon. They were running out of files and not finding anything worth a second glance.

"What exactly are we looking for?" Kensi asked from her place at her desk. She had a frustrated look on her face and was just about to give up.

"Anything that can help Sam and Callen." Deeks said without looking up from the file he was reading. His file was a bit thicker than the rest; it looked like one he had written himself.

Kensi exhaled loudly and went back to work. She wasn't sure what she was looking for but she knew that if she found it it'd jump out at her.

Deeks looked up from his place about 10 minutes later and saw his partner staring at the same page she was on ten minutes ago. Her bangs were thrown in her face and she didn't even care to move them out of the way. "Kens," Deeks spoke from his seat. Kensi was too lost in thought to even look up so he tried again, "Kens." This time when she didn't answer he got up from his desk and walked over to hers. He sat on the edge of it and lightly tapped her shoulder. "What?" Kensi responded after she shook her head to clear out the thoughts that had been roaming around in there.

"I found what we need."

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

"What is it?"

"Eric and Nell said that they couldn't find an address for Thistle, right" Deeks asked as a lead up.

"Yeah, Nell said that his previous house was deemed unfit to live in so he was kicked out of it."

"I think I found out where he lives." Deeks said as he turned around and walked toward the file folder still opened on his desk. Deeks picked up a picture and showed it to Kensi.

"But how do we know that he actually lives here and wasn't just there by chance."

"The surveillance done on this was done so that it kept going even after the initial case, Blue Star, was over. There are pictures from a month ago showing him at this house with a girl from the Briggs' area."

"We should call Callen and Sam and send them over there." Kensi said as she reached into her pocket to fish out her cellphone.

"Whoa, not so fast Tiger. Let's go talk to Eric and Nell to verify this. We don't want to send them on a wild goose chase, do we?"

Kensi shook her head and began walking up the stairs to the tech room. Deeks followed behind her keeping the picture in his hand.

"Nell, Eric?"

Nell and Eric moved away from their laptops and waved to Kensi and Deeks. "What's up?" Eric asked as Kensi and Deeks moved toward the center of the room.

"I need you to do a few things for me."

"Yeah, sure, what are they?" Eric said as he turned back to his laptop.

"Can you identify this woman?" Deeks asked as he handed over the picture of the women from the Briggs' area and Thistle.

"I can run her through the system and see if anything pops up." Eric said as he grabbed the picture and began rapidly typing on his laptop.

"Nell while Eric is working on that would you mind looking to see if Thistle has made any calls to a female?"

"Sure. We'll call you when you get something." Nell said and began to pour through Thistle's phone records.

Kensi and Deeks nodded, said their thanks and headed to the door before they exited he turned back to them and said, "I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell Catherine about this, OK guys?"

Nell and Eric looked confused and shocked but nodded their heads nonetheless.

Kensi and Deeks walked down the stairs and into the bullpen before Kensi asked, "Why can't Catherine know?"

Deeks moved to his desk and began to clean it up. He closed files and sat them on top of each other in chronological order before he lifted his head to answer his partner's question. "If she knows how to get to Thistle she'll do it without batting an eyelash." Deeks answered simply.

"But she asked for our help." Kensi countered.

"To find him, not take him down." Deeks responded as he walked around his desk to stand in front of hers.

"She wants him dead and she won't give that to anyone else. She's stubborn-like you." Deeks told Kensi. She smiled a bit but before she could say anything she heard Eric call their names from the top of the stairs.

"What'd you find?" Deeks asked as soon as he walked into the tech room.

Eric pointed at the picture Deeks had given him that was now on the screen, "Penelope Carson, 26. She's from Michigan, moved here for college at 18."

"What does she got to do with Thistle?" Kensi asked.

"She's his girlfriend." Deeks supplied and Eric nodded, "Seems that way."

Nell interjected, "They've exchanged over 6,000 text message and almost 300 phone calls in the past month alone."

"So what do we do now?" Kensi asked just as the doors to the tech room opened to reveal Hetty.

"You and Mister Deeks will be leaving for the night to get a substantial amount of rest." Deeks rose to protest but Hetty dismissed him by saying, "Miss Carson will be dealt with tomorrow. I expect you to be out of here in 15 minutes." Both Kensi and Deeks nodded and walked out the door. "I'll see you in the morning." With that the pair of partners walked down the stairs to collect their things to go home.

* * *

**A/N: Holy crap on a cracker! I'm so sorry for my absence, I have been extremely busy with traveling and family work. I should be back to regular posting soon. Also chapter 6 is next (if you can't count...haha.)**


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